Spiritual Life
By Archbishop Fulton Sheen
As death approaches, the human heart speaks its greatest words of love to those it holds most dear. So it was with Jesus who in His final hours gave us seven last “words,” rich with spiritual meaning for every human soul.
For the first time ever, Archbishop Fulton Sheen's complete writings and reflections on Christ’s last words have been compiled into this one book. Sheen shows how the seven words are, in fact, a full catechism on the spiritual life. From them, you’ll learn the secrets to living the Beatitudes, ways to avoid the deadly vices of anger, envy, lust, and pride, and how to cultivate the heavenly virtues of fortitude, prudence, justice, and charity.
Few books are such an inspiring call to sanctity, and few books are such a spiritual powerhouse. With Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen as your guide, you’ll also learn:
Why, during His Passion, Jesus never proclaimed his innocence.
Why Jesus appealed to His Father to forgive, but did not Himself forgive directly.
What Jesus’ third word from the Cross says about lust.
Why, like Jesus, the most innocent among us must suffer.
Why darkness covered the earth after Jesus spoke his fourth word.
The seven words spoken unto Jesus while He hung on the Cross — and what they reveal about the impact of Christ’s Passion on your soul.
What the Passion says about judging others (and why it’s an assault against hope).
How the conversion of the good thief is the key to the conversion of our modern world.
Why you and I can sin a thousand times and be forgiven, and the angels who have sinned but once are eternally unforgiven.
How envy becomes the denial of all justice and love.
The difference between the virtue of hope and the emotion of hope.
Paperback, 400 pages
Conversations With Modern Man About Christ and His Church
by Msgr Robert Hugh Benson
A curious thing happened between the time Fr. Benson lived and where mankind finds itself today. The atheistic ideologies that were then only beginning to take hold in mainstream society have now metastasized throughout the contemporary world. The subtle and conversational presentation of this book is addressed to the modern man in that context. Fr. Benson gently exposes the whispered attacks, the implied ridicule, and anti-Catholic invective of his time and answers them with the patience of a friend, a father, and a priest. This apologetic approach is interwoven with the main conversation of the book: Christ’s Life and the parallels between it and His Church.
The genius of Fr. Benson’s book Christ in the Church is that he speaks to the reader with one goal in mind. Fr. Benson wishes for the atheist, the fallen away Catholic, and the poorly catechized to simply listen to a rational explanation of the world with Christ at its center.
Fr. Robert Hugh Benson is renowned for his contributions to Catholic literature. This recently rediscovered title is a fantastic example of why his books inspire people to come to Christ and His Church. Get this book for your family and friends and help them better defend themselves and the Faith against the modern errors.
Hardcover, size 9.25" x 6.25", 231 pages
by St. Alphonsus Liguori
St. Alphonsus Liguori, the Prince of Moral Theologians, was one of the greatest preachers in Church history. A religious founder, far-reaching theologian, and holy man of God, St. Alphonsus never fails to utter a stirring word that draws out a lively penitence and redoubled dedication to the work of God from his audience. He was also a great mariologist and a devout son of Our Lady (his congregation eventually gained custody of the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help). One of the great doctors of the Church, in The Glories of Mary, he assembled the finest information on Our Lady from the many writings of the saints, holy authors, and Sacred Scripture.
The Glories of Mary is five complete books in one volume. The first book examines the words of the Salve Regina and shows how God has given Mary to mankind to be the Gate of Heaven. The second book explains Our Lady's principal feasts and reveals fresh truths about these mysteries. The third book explains the Seven Sorrows of Mary and why Our Lady's martyrdom was longer and greater than that of all other martyrs. The fourth book describes ten different virtues of Our Lady, and the fifth book provides dozens of famous prayers, meditations, and devotions to her.
Included are the theological proofs for the Immaculate Conception, explanations of the invocations in the Litany of Loreto, and a description of Our Lady's death. The Glories of Maryis the greatest compendium of nearly eighteen centuries of teaching on Our Lady and seeks to lead many souls to a greater love of Jesus through a more intimate knowledge of Mary and her exalted role in our salvation. To this end, St. Alphonsus quotes many Fathers and Doctors of the Church, including St. Bonaventure, who wrote, "No one can enter Heaven unless by Mary, as though through a door." St. Alphonsus explains that Mary is the Gate of Heaven, the portal through which mankind meets the Divine in Jesus Christ.
"Out of the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaketh," and St. Alphonsus's heart was only filled to the brim with genuine desire for innocence and purity of heart in all his spiritual children, most especially through devotion to the Blessed Mother. Writing to defend her against impious attacks and diminishments of Marian devotion, St. Alphonsus shows that devotion to Our Lady is a most certain mark of eternal salvation. His words gives profound encouragement and firm hope for eternal victory through Mary; the Mother of God—who can obtain from her Divine Son anything she asks.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 672 pages
by St Therses of Lisieux
Letters To Her Spiritual Brothers Collects The Correspondence Between St. Thérèse Of Lisieux And Missionaries Fr. Adolphe Roulland And Fr. Maurice Bellière.
The letters cover the practical and spiritual aspects of religious, clerical, and missionary life in the 19th century, and offer a unique glimpse into the soul of one of the most beloved saints in recent history.
In addition to the letters themselves, this edition includes an overview of the lives of Frs. Roulland and Bellière, and additional documents relevant to their correspondence with St. Thérèse. In order to assist the reader in better understanding the context and circumstances surrounding the letters, substantive footnotes have been incorporated throughout. Although more than a century has passed since they were written, these letters confront perennial themes familiar to Christians of every generation. Every Catholic, whether clerical, religious, or lay, will discover immense spiritual benefits in this unique collection.
Paperback, size 9" x 6", 152 pages, photographs
by St Leonard of Port Maurice
Jesus is the physician of our souls, and it is through his priests that he exercises this healing power in our ailing world. Our hope is that priests and laymen may, through the study of this small volume from one of the great Franciscan confessors of the 18th Century, arrive at a more thorough understanding of, and a great love for, the healing sacrament which reconciles the sinner to the all powerful, all just, all seeing, and all merciful God.
Paperback, size 85" x 5.5", 68 pages
Its Origin, Meaning and Privileges
by Abbot Dom Prosper Gueranger
Saint Benedict, father of western monasticism, is rather more known for his life and Rule than for a medal cast in his honour. Newly revised, updated and re-typeset.
Paperback, size 7.4" x 5", 140 pages
by Father Jean-Dominique Fabre, O.P.
Do we know Christ’s final words on the Cross? Do we know how they apply to our spiritual life today, in the 21st century?
In this beautiful book, Father Jean-Dominique O.P. takes each of Christ’s seven last words and shows how they apply to all times of History, but especially to our day when the Church and the world are plunged in so much darkness, just like they were at the supreme moment of Christ’s life on earth, His final hours on Calvary.
The seven words of Christ on the Cross are a true guide for Christian life in times of apostasy and revolution. They are an endless source of light, joy and peace. They kindle in the hearts of Catholics a sincere love of the Cross and the Divine Crucified, as well as a proactive hope. Therefore, it is time, more than ever before, to receive this “light which shines in the darkness”.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 178 pages
by Thomas à Kempis
For the Christian, the soul is immortal and there is eternal life to come after our death: heaven or hell. Our goal is heaven and nothing less. However, there is the mysterious door to eternal life which is death. The door of death is important for the Christian because of its finality. There are no more choices after death.
Thinking on death is the most profitable meditation we can make.
Indeed, Our Lord’s most holy passion and death offers us the greatest meditation, but pondering our own imminent death can bring us great fruit as it prepares us for the most important thing we will do: enter into eternity.
“Remember man that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
By meditating on their deaths, many have renounced this fleeting world for the monastery and cloister. By meditating on their deaths, many have conquered the flesh, the world, and the devil. By meditating on their deaths, many have climbed the ladder of holiness in a brief time.
To keep death daily before your eyes is one of the greatest secrets to sanctity, for death is the only certainty in this life. And those who ponder the hour of their death daily will not be surprised when that moment comes; rather, they will have prepared for it their entire lives and will be ready to meet their Creator.
In this soul-jarring work, Thomas à Kempis guides the reader to consider the last four things: death, judgment, heaven, and hell. One of the devil’s favorite words is tomorrow. But God’s is today. Meditations on Death is like a mini-retreat that will redirect your heart to eternal things rather than passing things. For to contemplate the hour of your death is to already have one foot in heaven.
Hardcover, size 7" x 5", 70 pages
by Fr. Paul O'Sullivan, EDM OP, STL
While attaining sanctity is the most important thing in the world (for ourselves and for others, because everyone benefits from one's personal sanctification), sanctity need not be seen as the hardest thing in the world. It is always the greatest challenge, but nothing "extraordinary" is required of us. In fact, the perfection of the ordinary is precisely where God calls most of us to grow: "Whoever is faithful in the least thing also will also be faithful in greater things" (Luke 16:10).
Thus, in An Easy Way to Become a Saint, Fr. Paul O'Sullivan offers an optimistic book showing how any ordinary Catholic can become holy—and supremely so. Every day there are innumerable opportunities to become holier, hidden for us to find. Father O'Sullivan shows us how, writing with an assurance of success that is totally convincing and infectious.
Paperback, size 7" x 4.25", 105 pages
by Fr. Cajetan Mary da Bergamo
This is the greatest book on humility ever written and will likely be the best book you will read in the next 5 years (outside of Holy Scripture). If everyone in the United States would adhere to the advice in this book, we would convert the world.
Here is how the book opens up:
"In Paradise there are many Saints who never gave alms on earth: their poverty justified them. There are many Saints who never mortified their bodies by fasting or wearing hair shirts: their bodily infirmities excused them. There are many Saints too who were not virgins: their vocation was otherwise. But in Paradise there is no Saint who was not humble."
Below are a few more gems of wisdom contained in Humility of Heart. Fr. Cajetan da Bergamo has assembled in this incomparable Catholic classic every conceivable motive for us to practice the virtue of humility.
- "It is only by the measure of thy humility that thou canst hope to please God and save thyself, because it is certain that God ‘will save the humble of spirit.'" (Ps. 33:19—Page 60).
- "As paradise is only for the humble, therefore in paradise every one will have more or less glory according to his degree of humility." (Page 75).
- "Humility generates confidence, and God never refuses His grace to those who come to Him with humility and trust." (Page 93).
From every direction, he marshals up the reasons why this virtue is paramount in the lives of all saints and of all those on the way of perfection. As no one will enter Heaven who is not perfect and as no one will gain perfection who is not humble, it behooves us all to apprise ourselves of the requisites for gaining true humility of heart, for once possessing this virtue, we can then make great strides in the spiritual life. But without it, we are simply deceiving ourselves regarding our spiritual progress and postponing the great work of our own salvation.
“The prayer of him that humbleth himself shall pierce the clouds.” —Ecclesiasticus 35:21
Paperback, size 7" x 4.25", 236 pages
A Mystical Sign of Divine Power
by St Gregory the Great, St Bernard of Clairvaux, Johannes Trithemius, Pope Benedict XIV and others
The spiritual wisdom of Saint Benedict has endured for centuries and quite literally shaped Western culture from its inception. Tenets of the order, like its motto and Saint Benedict’s Rule, are just as influential for lay people as they are for the Benedictine monks and nuns. The cross and medal of St. Benedict is also among the gifts bestowed by the Benedictine Order. For centuries, it has been a conduit for God’s power against malicious spirits.
The history of this cross and medal—how it first came about, how it was used, miracles attributed to its use—was not easily apparent, nor readily accessible. However, this book successfully delineates the history, theology, and potency of the cross and medal of St. Benedict. Drawing from a number of ancient and reliable sources, Fr. Robert Nixon has compiled, translated, and edited a most powerful book on the cross and medal of St. Benedict. With this book, you’ll learn from various saints and holy men as the history of St. Benedict’s cross and medal unfolds. In doing so, you will learn about the life and legend of St. Benedict, the Father of Western Monasticism, who established the most ancient religious order.
Sancte Benedicte, ora pro nobis!
Hardcover, size 7.25" x 5.25", 120 pages
A Year's Thoughts
by Fr William Doyle, S.J.
“What is it to be a saint? Does it mean that we must macerate this flesh of ours with cruel austerities, such as we read of in the life-story of some of God’s great heroes? [ …] No, no, the hand of God does not lead us all by that stern path of awful heroism to our reward above. […] But sweetly and gently would He lead us along the way of holiness by our constant unswerving faithfulness to our duty, duty accepted, duty done for His dear sake”. Father William Doyle S.J. (page 55).
Father William Doyle (1873-1917) is best known as the heroic Irish chaplain who gave his life while tending to the spiritual needs of troops in World War I. He was loved and revered by the soldiers, who regarded him as a saint.
In the years preceding his appointment to the Front, Father Doyle wrote many letters of spiritual guidance and copious retreat notes, and also kept a diary. His biographer, Father Alfred O’Rahilly, takes excerpts from these writings, and gives us a thought for each day of the year.
Challenging, but encouraging, these thoughts will lead to peace and holiness.
Paperback, size 8.5" x 5.5", 220 pages
Heaven's Great Missionary
by Monsignor Louis Gaston de Ségur
“Preach many great truths of salvation”, Pope Pius IX once told a French priest. “Preach especially about Hell. Let there be no hiding it: tell the whole truth about Hell, very clearly and out loud. Nothing is more capable of making people think and of bringing poor sinners back to God”.
These words of the great Pope are what prompted the great French apologist Monsignor Louis Gaston de Ségur to write this little book on Hell. In it, he shows that the dogma of Hell is a truth of common sense, as well as being one that is revealed by God and constantly taught by the Church. Then, he describes the punishments of Hell and shows that they are (and must be) eternal. Finally, and most importantly, he tells us what practical steps we must take in order to avoid going there.
“I offer you this modest book”, he writes, “asking the Good God to permeate you to the depths of your soul with the great truths it summarises so that fear may arouse love in you and that love may lead you straight to Paradise”.
Paperback, size 7" x 4.4", 200 pages
The Devilish Perils and Divine Possibilities of Self-Knowledge
by Fr. Frederick William Faber
One of the greatest contradictions in the Spiritual Life is that it is very important you should know a great deal about yourself, and at the same time, that you should think very little about yourself.
In A Right View of Yourself, the esteemed Rev. Fr. Frederick Faber will lead you through a journey of self-knowledge. With gentleness, candor and wisdom, he digs deeply into the normal state of a soul, the effects of fatigue, the necessity for spiritual rest, struggles with temptation and scruples and how to view rightly our faults. He provides instruction on how to avoid devilish perils that you may encounter along the way: heightened sensitivity, emotionalism, and worst of all sentimentality.
Throughout his work, he remains consistently optimistic about the divine possibilities self-knowledge can reveal. He prepares you to begin this journey governed by faith, humility and confidence in God’s mercy and love.
No knowledge in the world can be more interesting than to know how you stand with God and A Right View of Yourself will help you see yourself as He does.
Hardcover, size 7" x 5", 120 pages
Meditations for Septuagesima and Lent
by Fr Joseph de Dreux O.F.M. Cap.
This little book, which brings us from Septuagesima Sunday right through to Holy Saturday, is both rich in theology and eminently practical.
By means of short daily meditations, Father de Dreux helps us to prepare ourselves spiritually for the Passion and death of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Taking each event recorded in the Gospels, Father brings us into the mystery of the Passion, simply but profoundly.
This work was first written in French in the middle of the 17th Century, but was not actually published until 1887, having been lost during the turmoil of the French Revolution. It has been republished in French in recent years. This is the very first English edition.
Paperback, size 6" x 4", 142 pages
Suffering and Consolation in the Christian Life
by St John of Avila
“Come to me, all you that labour, and are burdened, and I will refresh you. Take up my yoke upon you, and learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart: and you shall find rest to your souls. For my yoke is sweet and my burden light.” Matthew 11:28–30
Christ’s words ring true for this earthly life that we must endure in order to, hopefully, attain eternal rest with Him in heaven. Our fallen world is full of sufferings and struggles; from the everyday aggravations to the life-altering sorrows that we sometimes face. Yet, Christ assures us that His “yoke is sweet and [His] burden light.” This is so because He always helps us carry our crosses throughout this life and because the ultimate battle is already won, thanks to Christ’s love for us. Yet we must remain vigilant.
Saint John of Avila, the 34th Doctor of the Church, gave numerous sermons on this subject, in which he offers the consolation of Christ’s own example and that of saints, like St. Francis of Assisi. St. John never failed to instruct, edify, and challenge those who listened attentively to his sermons. Within these sermons, we too can find renewed strength as we embrace the redemptive suffering of this life and hope for the beatific vision in the next.
Published for the first time in English, this carefully translated work of St. John’s selected sermons will be a great spiritual aid to any soul along his path to holiness.
Hardcover with dust jacket, size 8.5" x 5.5", 216 pages
by St Bonaventure
“By one little devout prayer it is possible for a man to gain heaven.” — St. Bonaventure
In Holiness of Life, Saint Bonaventure offers a rich and challenging reflection on the virtues that lead the soul to union with God. Exploring themes of humility, prayer, poverty, and the remembrance of Christ’s Passion, this spiritual classic guides readers to conform their hearts to Christ and embrace the life of holiness.
Saint Bonaventure’s wisdom, deeply rooted in Scripture and the teachings of the Church, provides clarity and encouragement for those who seek to confront their faults, reject worldly distractions, and embrace the virtues of the saints. From uncovering the depths of true self-knowledge to igniting the fire of fervent prayer, Holiness of Life draws readers closer to the perfection of love that is only found in the reward of Heaven.
Paperback, size 7" x 5", 85 pages
or, Considerations on the Eternal Maxims (The Ascetical Works, Volume 1)
by St Alphonsus Liguori
Covers the shortness of life, the certainty of death, the uncertainty of the hour of death, how with death all ends, the importance of salvation, the value of time, the eternity of Hell, the pains of Hell, the remorse of the damned, and the anguish of the sinner at death. Plus: the happy life of the virtuous, their peaceful and victorious death, the glories and happiness and eternity of Heaven, etc. Preparation for Death is a complete program for saving our souls that understands this life is principally the means for attaining our salvation.
Hardcover, 7 1/2" x 4 3/4", 473 pages